The last transmission produced at the Ford plant rolled off the line Friday, June 13.
For nearly 30 years, the 2.4 million square feet Ford plant in Batavia has provided thousands of jobs to Clermont County workers. At it’s peak in 1981, the year the plant opened, Ford employed some 2,635 people.
“As emotional as closing the plant is, it was a necessary decision that we had to make,” said Ford plant manager Melvin Royster.
When production ended last week, about 780 hourly and salaried employees lost their jobs. To assist those displaced workers, the Ford plant, in conjunction with the state, Workforce One of Clermont County, and the Southwest Ohio Workforce Board created a transition center last August.